The Bison were on fire in the first half, shooting a scorching 61.9%. However, the Eagles went 7-13 (53.8%) from behind the arc to take a 40-37 lead into the locker room at halftime. Gallaudet rallied in the second stanza to take its first lead of the contest since early in the first half, 51-50, on a jam from reigning CAC Player of the Week Frank Jackson. They extended the lead to 58-54 when Haney drilled a three-pointer with 11:07 remaining.
Shortly thereafter, Mary Washington put together a run of its own and pulled ahead, 70-65, on a jumper from guard Mike Lee – who finished with 24 points – before the Bison cut the deficit to just one point when Haney scored two with 31 seconds left. However, Lee stepped to the freethrow line and netted a pair with 12 seconds remaining to round the scoring out at 73-70.
Jackson finished with 14 points and nine boards, while senior center Bradley Miller added a double-double - 10 points and 10 rebounds. Guard A.J. Fitzgerald joined Lee with 24 points, while forward Ian Summers chipped in with eight points and eight off the glass for the Eagles. With the loss, Gallaudet drops to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while Mary Washington improves to 2-1 and 0-1.
The Bison return to action against non-league foe Albright College on Friday at 8 p.m. as they host the Annual Gallaudet Holiday Tournament. TCNJ takes on SUNY-Old Westbury in the opening contest at 6 p.m. The winners will meet in the championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m., while the consolation contest will take place at 1 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students or patrons may opt for a tournament pass, $7 adults and $5 for students.